This invention relates to an improved drill rod handling device which is designed for attachment to a drill rig feed frame and which facilitates the handling of drill rods during the drilling operation.
It is common practice for drill rods (including kelly rods and core barrels) to be handled manually when transferring same from a rod rack to a position on the feed frame of a conventional drill rig for being coupled to a drill string (and also when removing the rods therefrom). The rods are coupled to a rotation unit and rod holder, which are standard parts of a conventional drill assembly mounted on-top of the feed frame, and are used to feed rods in and out of the ground. Such manual handling is particularly undesirable in situations where heavy drill rods are required to be handled and lifted at awkward angles and heights in a repetitive manner.
While it is also known for the drill rods to be handled automatically by an automatic rod handler with little manual input being required, such equipment is generally very expensive.
There is a need therefore for a rod handling device which avoids the problems associated with solely manual rod handling procedures, and is able to offer advantages similar to those achieved by the automatic rod handlers yet is far less costly, and which will allow drilling operator(s) to handle a large number of drill rods with less chance of fatigue and injury.
It is the main object therefore of the present invention to provide an improved rod handling device which avoids the need for a drill assistant to manually lift and manipulate the drill rods onto the feed frame of the drill rig, is simple in its operation and of relatively low cost.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved rod handling device which is ergonomically better for the drilling assistant than a conventional manual procedure and will allow the assistant to handle a large number of drill rods with less chance of fatigue and injury.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved rod handling device in the form of an attachment which can be readily attached to the feed frame of a standard drill assembly.
According to this invention therefore, a drill rod handling device is adapted for attachment to a feed frame of a drill rig assembly which includes a standard rotation unit and a rod holder mounted on top of the feed frame and which are used to feed drill rods in and out of the ground, said handling device comprising:
elongate guide means which extend longitudinally of the feed frame along one side thereof;
mounting means for attaching said guide means to said feed frame;
a carriage assembly arranged for sliding movement lengthwise along said guide means;
a head assembly comprising a head support frame, holder means for supporting a drill rod at spaced apart locations along its length, gripper means for gripping the drill rod, when supported by said holder means, during transport of the rod from the load/unload position to its make/break position and also during the rod screwing function, and means for feeding the drill rod longitudinally when supported by the holder means;
a pivotal swing arm pivotally supported on said carriage assembly and operatively interconnecting said carriage assembly and said head assembly, swivel attachment means rotatably mounting the head assembly to the outer end of said swing arm for tilt movement about a transverse axis,
tilt actuator means for effecting said tilt movement of said head assembly, and
swing actuator means for effecting bodily rotation of said swing arm and said head assembly about a generally longitudinal axis,
arranged and constructed so that a drill rod when loaded (eg, manually) onto the head assembly at a side load position relative to the feed frame, can be bodily moved to a loading position on top of the feed frame.
Desirably the swing actuator rotates the swing arm and head assembly through an arc of at least 180xc2x0, with the arc movement allowing the swing arm to be swung in behind the rotation unit on the feed frame.
Desirably the guide means comprises a pair of parallel spaced apart elongate guide rails or rods along which the carriage assembly is guided for sliding movement by means of slides. Preferably the power drive means for the carriage assembly comprises an hydraulic traverse cylinder arranged so that it can move the swing arm and head assembly to a position far enough away from the load/unload position so that they clear the back of the rotation unit on the feed frame and the rod string when making and breaking threads.
Preferably there are two opposing pivotal rod gripping jaws on the head assembly and which house respective roller assemblies. The rod gripping jaws are open and closed by means of an hydraulic cylinder.
Preferably, some of the rollers of the roller assemblies are rotated by means of hydraulic motors which may run continuously. When rotating, the rollers feed the drill rod axially for screwing and unscrewing of the thread joint while simultaneously holding the rod.
Desirably each of the guides of the guide assemblies have provisions for holding a drill rod or outer tube for a given rod size.
Desirably the rod handling device of this invention is powered hydraulically from the power pack of the drill rig and is operated by a remote electric control panel. The device preferably includes an hydraulic directional control valve which uses electric solenoids to control individual valve movements.